Ahead of the commemoration of International Women’s Day, which is held every March 8, the Media Rights Agenda has advocated for increased empowerment and safety of female journalists by making spaces for them to take more prominent roles in the newsrooms, such as editorial leadership and decision-making.

The organisation made this call in a statement signed by the programme officer, Ms. Ayomide Eweje, on Friday and urged the media owners and platforms to create environments where female journalists can thrive without fear of harassment, discrimination, or violence.

Calls for gender inclusion in media sectors have always been prominent from civil society organisations and stakeholders, and there have been observations that the female genders are confronted with several challenges, including gender inequality, safety concerns, and limited leadership opportunities, which continue to hinder their full participation in the media industry.

Despite this, MRA said women have continued to contribute largely to the development of Nigerian society in their journalistic activities with their constituent efforts to inform and educate members of the public as well as hold those in power accountable.

MRA further stated that the value of women in the media cannot be overemphasised, noting that even though they are victims of harassment, cyberbullying, and other related intimidation while performing their duties to ensure diversity of voices and opinions to foster a more inclusive media landscape.

“Despite their critical role in strengthening democracy and amplifying marginalized voices, female journalists in Nigeria continue to face threats, harassment, and violence, both online and offline,” adding that “a collaborative effort between media houses, civil society organizations, government agencies, and the public is crucial to ensuring the safety and well-being of female journalists”, the statement reads.

“Observing that women in the media play an important role in ensuring the diversity of voices and opinions as well as fostering a more inclusive media landscape, she stressed that the increasing incidents of intimidation, harassment, cyberbullying and other forms of attacks against women in the media underscore the urgent need for stronger legal protections, institutional safeguards, and collective action to combat impunity for these actions, many of which constitute criminal offences for which no one is ever held accountable”.

As a result, MRA established safeguards to ensure the security of female journalists while they carry out their constitutional responsibilities. The organisation also advocated for the enforcement of journalist protection laws, as well as the adoption of gender-sensitive laws to protect female journalists from impunity for crimes against journalists.

The organisation also further noted that “enforcing existing laws that protect journalists and adopting gender-sensitive policies that address violence against female journalists; providing cybersecurity training to help female journalists navigate online threats; ending impunity for crimes against journalists by ensuring swift investigation and prosecution of perpetrators; and implementing initiatives to ensure greater representation of women in leadership roles within the media industry”.